Giving away chickens for a few months?

[HennyPenny44]

Can anybody tell me if this situation might work? We’re moving soon and have 9 hens. However, our new home will have no infrastructure for chickens in place and the sale is contingent so moving everything including chickens all at once seems impossible in our situation. Has anyone heard of having someone care for your chickens for about 2 months or so and then taking them off their hands? I’d provide the food and all necessary items for the chickens. How much might it realistically cost? I’m located in Somerset County, NJ. Thanks for any and all replies.

 

[Perris]

there are quite a lot of places offering hen boarding in this country, so I imagine they exist there too. E.g. https://boardinghens.co.uk/

 

[CKfarm22]

Can anybody tell me if this situation might work? We’re moving soon and have 9 hens. However, our new home will have no infrastructure for chickens in place and the sale is contingent so moving everything including chickens all at once seems impossible in our situation. Has anyone heard of having someone care for your chickens for about 2 months or so and then taking them off their hands? I’d provide the food and all necessary items for the chickens. How much might it realistically cost? I’m located in Somerset County, NJ. Thanks for any and all replies.

Are you willing to travel?

 

[McChooky]

Can anybody tell me if this situation might work? We’re moving soon and have 9 hens. However, our new home will have no infrastructure for chickens in place and the sale is contingent so moving everything including chickens all at once seems impossible in our situation. Has anyone heard of having someone care for your chickens for about 2 months or so and then taking them off their hands? I’d provide the food and all necessary items for the chickens. How much might it realistically cost? I’m located in Somerset County, NJ. Thanks for any and all replies.

Hoop coops aren't hard to make. You could keep them in one all winter.They just need a tarp.

 

[HennyPenny44]

there are quite a lot of places offering hen boarding in this country, so I imagine they exist there too. E.g. https://boardinghens.co.uk/

Yes, in my searches for hen boarding, I saw a lot of U.K. websites but none in the U.S. Strange…

 

[HennyPenny44]

Are you willing to travel?

Yes, within reason. I can travel an hour or so each way. Just have no idea what the going rate is and not sure if I have the funds for it.

 

[CKfarm22]

Yes, within reason. I can travel an hour or so each way. Just have no idea what the going rate is and not sure if I have the funds for it.

To be completely honest with you, i would not board them. It’s too much stress on them and bio security is not that good. If you could find a pet sitter that your know and trust i would suggest that… or do what the other commenter said and make a hoop coop for the time being. I would love to take them (i’m right in nj) but i’m not sure if i have enough room for all of yours plus mine :/

 

[HennyPenny44]

Hoop coops aren't hard to make. You could keep them in one all winter.They just need a tarp.

I actually built a hoop coop a year ago in anticipation of a move and it has a tarp on it. Just need to figure out how to winterize it since our snowfalls can be heavy and it’s exposed on both ends. We’re only moving an hour away but it’s still nerve wracking figuring out how to move the house, a coop, a hoop coop and fencing all within a short time, plus chickens to boot!

 

[CKfarm22]

I actually built a hoop coop a year ago in anticipation of a move and it has a tarp on it. Just need to figure out how to winterize it since our snowfalls can be heavy and it’s exposed on both ends. We’re only moving an hour away but it’s still nerve wracking figuring out how to move the house, a coop, a hoop coop and fencing all within a short time, plus chickens to boot!

Could you use the plastic roofing from home depot to cover the ends? Do you have a picture you can post and we can help you out?

Also could you keep the hoop coop and chickens at the new house while you’re still moving?

 

[HennyPenny44]

To be completely honest with you, i would not board them. It’s too much stress on them and bio security is not that good. If you could find a pet sitter that your know and trust i would suggest that… or do what the other commenter said and make a hoop coop for the time being. I would love to take them (i’m right in nj) but i’m not sure if i have enough room for all of yours plus mine :/

Thanks for the advice. We’re doing a contingent sale so we have to move in and out of the same house within one to three days tops. Plus they changed the chicken ordinances recently within my current town so I’m not allowed to have my permanent coop where it has always been and have the number of chickens I do. They’re now charging $25 a chicken per year just to keep it. Insanity! We have to do a Certificate of Occupancy with the town prior to moving which makes me worry about us having to pay back fees. I really would miss my girls so not liking the idea of boarding them actually.